Lawyer Says Kobe Will Channel Lil Wayne If He’s Forced to Testify in Trademark Battle
Written by SOURCE on November 20, 2018
Kobe Bryant‘s attorney reportedly informed Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals that if they force his client to testify in their trademark battle over his “Black Mamba” nickname, his deposition will look very similar to the infamous one by Lil Wayne six years ago. “Deposing Kobe Bryant would be like Lil Wayne’s deposition … it would be just like that – he’d just be saying ‘I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,'” his lawyer said, per The Blast. In case you don’t recall Weezy’s deposition, you can check it out below.
Bryant’s attorney argues that even if the company were to get a room full of lawyers to depose his client, “it’s never going to happen,” explaining, “This is Kobe Bryant we are talking about – not some ‘Mom and Pop’ shop.”
In 2015, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals planned to sell a line of ephedra-based diet pills under the name “Black Mamba HYPERRUSH.” The company filed a trademark that same year. Kobe’s team filed a trademark for his self-appointed “Black Mamba” moniker in 2016.
Over the last year, the two sides have been embroiled in a legal battle over who truly owns the rights to the “Black Mamba” trademark. Kobe’s team claims that the diet pill displayed with his moniker will confuse people into thinking that he has backed the company. Hi-Tech counters with the argument that Bryant isn’t the only athlete to use the “Black Mamba” nickname. In 2013, boxer Roger Mayweather trademarked “Roger Black Mamba Mayweather,” The Blast points out. The company believes Kobe is overstepping his trademark rights by trying to block their registration.
